Enrollment
1,681
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Buffalo, MN
Buffalo Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 270720000285
👥 S:T ratio 5
📚 AP courses 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buffalo Senior High earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Buffalo · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.7:1
- large classes for Minnesota
- 16.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Buffalo Senior High has class sizes larger than 91% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Senior High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Buffalo, MN.
School address
District: Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools · Minnesota
NCES ID 270720000285 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo Senior High compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buffalo Senior High
Buffalo Senior High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Buffalo, Minnesota, enrolling 1,681 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.7:1 is larger than about 91% of Minnesota schools and 50% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 16.3% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the Minnesota average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Minnesota, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,681 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 74 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #53.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 3 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 420 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools also operates Buffalo Community Middle (1,160 students) and Northwinds Elementary (419 students) alongside Buffalo Senior High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buffalo Senior High compares
Buffalo Senior High on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.7:1 | ▲ 50% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.3% | ▼ 62% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,681 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.7:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,681
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
16.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
23.7:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 91% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
34.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,428
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 420 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 136 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 85.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 85.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.1, Buffalo Senior High is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools, which includes Buffalo Senior High.
$13,428
Per student
-12%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.8%
State 62.8%
Federal 8.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Buffalo Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Community Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northwinds Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tatanka Elementary Stem School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hanover Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Montrose Elementary School of Innov | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buffalo Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 419
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 363
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,681 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buffalo Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Buffalo Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Senior High
How many students attend Buffalo Senior High?
Buffalo Senior High has 1,681 students enrolled. It is a high school in Buffalo, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo Senior High is 23.7:1, which is 50% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 51% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buffalo Senior High?
16.3% of students at Buffalo Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo Senior High is White at 85.6% of enrollment, in Buffalo, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo Senior High?
Buffalo Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buffalo Senior High rank among high schools in Buffalo?
By Resource Investment Index, Buffalo Senior High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Buffalo, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Buffalo on the city page.
Is Buffalo Senior High a good school?
Buffalo Senior High earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Minnesota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Minnesota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools?
Besides Buffalo Senior High, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools also operates Buffalo Community Middle (1,160 students), Northwinds Elementary (419 students), and Tatanka Elementary Stem School (393 students). See the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.